Biography
Samuel Spode was an English artist known predominantly as a painter of animals, particularly horses, and sporting scenes. Born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1798, he was the grandson of Josiah Spode, founder of the renowned Spode porcelain works. Though trained as a lawyer, Samuel Spode abandoned a conventional professional path in favour of a transient artistic life. His career unfolded largely outside the formal art world and was developed via direct patronage from the landed gentry, military officers, and hunting circles across England and Ireland.
In 1821, following his first marriage, he moved to the penal colony of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania), where he worked as a clerk. The next five years were rather turbulent, it seems, and perhaps not how the couple had imagined. It culminated in a terrible carriage accident, whereby they were both nearly killed. Various sources speculate on how this trauma affected him throughout his life. Not long after returning to the UK in 1826, his wife passed away.
It's evident from the literature that Spode considered himself a gentleman and moved in esteemed circles. He was well known to various gentry and worked ceaselessly. During the 1850s/1860s, he placed several advertisements in the Irish press stating that he'd received over 1,600 testimonials "from many of the nobility of the Empire, and Officers of the Army". And how he was "ready to paint Horses, Dogs, Equestrian Groups, Ladies on Horseback, etc".
He was known to be fond of Ireland, spending his final years there, which is evidenced by a glowing poem referring to its charms. Perhaps after a rather restless life, he finally found a place to call home.
His works are held in several public collections, including the National Trust.
Known For
- Equestrian portraiture.
- Sporting and hunting scenes.
- Portraits of notable racehorses and military chargers.
- Commission-based animal painting, often for gentry and officers.
Student Of
- Trained in law under his uncle Thomas Fenton.
- No formal artistic training recorded, suggesting a largely self-directed or practical development.
Lived In
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Van Diemen's Land (1821-1826)
- Heron Cross
- Liverpool
- Amesbury (probable)
- Richmond
- Various locations across Ireland, including Kilkenny, Wexford, Limerick and Dublin (final years)
Historical Context
Spode’s life sits within the expanding world of 19th-century sporting culture - a period when horse racing, fox hunting, and military pageantry formed a central part of elite British identity. While academic painters exhibited at institutions such as the Royal Academy, a parallel economy existed for artists who worked directly for patrons, producing portraits of prized animals and commemorations of sporting life.
Spode belonged firmly to this latter tradition. His work aligns more closely with that of practical sporting painters rather than with academically trained animal painters. His clientele valued artists who could catch a keen likeness.
At the same time, his early experience in the penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land places him within the broader story of British colonial expansion - a world of opportunity, risk, and, in his case, apparent personal rupture.
Public Collections
Works recorded at National Trust properties.
Timeline
1798
Born in Stoke, Staffordshire, to Samuel Spode and Sarah Spode (nee Garner). He was the grandson of Josiah Spode (1733-1797), the founder of the Spode pottery works.
Trained as a lawyer.
1821
Married Mary Crewe, of Newcastle-Under-Lyme, in Stoke, Staffordshire.
1821-1826
Lived in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania).
1826
Lived with his sister and wife in Heron Cross, Staffordshire.
Sought work as a lawyer.
1828
Married Sarah Anne Mayer in Birmingham.
Early 1830s
Began travelling extensively for commissions.
1837
Married Elizabeth Wilkinson in Liverpool. Occupation recorded as "Gentleman".
1839
Married Sarah Turner Molyneux in Liverpool. Occupation recorded as "Gentleman".
1845
Probably lived in Amesbury, Wiltshire.
1853
Upon the birth of his son Josiah Samuel Spode, he refers to himself as an artist in the documentation.
1856
Sought work in Carlow, Ireland.
Sought work in Kilkenny, Ireland.
1857
Sought work in Limerick, Ireland.
1859
Sought work in Wexford, Ireland.
Sought work in Kilkenny, Ireland.
1861
Lived in lodgings at Richmond, Surrey. Occupation recorded as "Artist. Animal Painter".
1864
Sought work in Wexford, Ireland.
From the Wexford Independent, Saturday 24 September 1864.
Mr. Samuel Spode
Begs to intimate to the nobility and gentry of the Town and County of Wexford, that, at the request of several friends, he has again visited Wexford for a short season; and will be found at Mrs. Stamp's, Main-street. He can produce upwards of 1,600 Testimonials from many of the nobility of the Empire, and Officers of the Army. He is ready to paint Horses, Dogs, Equestrian Groups, Ladies on Horseback, &c.; and hopes to give that satisfaction, which attended his first visit to the County.
Numerous similar advertisements were placed in newspapers during his period in Ireland.
1866
Married Beddelia McGrath in Dublin.
1872
Died in Dublin.
Described By Others
From the contemporary Irish press:
The striking similitude to each individual animal is so faithful that we could pick out each horse from our own casual knowledge of him.
From his own promotional verse:
Other horses to pourtray, I beg now to solicit…
But I’d much rather stay, and be painting well here!